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From wooden shacks to a classy Capital

Abu Dhabi - According to the 64-year-old Punjabi Sheikh Zayed transformed a place that was almost like Mumbai's Dharavi into a world-class Capital that is Abu Dhabi.

Bhupinder Singh Mann cannot stop raving about the UAE's founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He was a visionary leader, he says.
According to the 64-year-old Punjabi, who is calling quits after 43 years in one job, Sheikh Zayed transformed a place that was almost like Mumbai's Dharavi into a world-class Capital that is Abu Dhabi.
The supervisor at Wesco Abu Dhabi, is retiring today (January 26) but carries fresh memories of his first day in Abu Dhabi. "I landed at a very small Al Bateen Airport on August 13, 1974 and took a narrow and dusty road to Abu Dhabi town. I went to industrial area Darwish, where people from the subcontinent were doing odd jobs. There were very few buildings and there was one 14-floor tower on Corniche road. Streets like Hamdan, Electra, Khalifa, and Passport Road and Defence Road existed but there was no Mussafah. It was in 1975-76 that Mussafah happened after dredging."
The man from Bathinda district gives in-depth details of Abu Dhabi streets.
"There were small plywood houses on both sides of Hamdan and Electra streets, which was the hub of bachelors. It was just like the Mumbai shacks. Water scarcity was rampant. Locals from villages used to take water on donkeys from a filling point near Al Bateen Airport. Electricity was scare as there were only two small power houses. All buildings and workshops ran on standby generator," Singh said.
But unlike the infamous Mumbai locality, the UAE government demolished such areas. Transformation, Singh said, started in the late 1970s. "All areas were developed rapidly. The government started expansion projects, buildings with modern facilities popped up and towers gained more floors."
The facelift was planned and execution was fast-paced.
"I like Sheikh Zayed. He was a very nice person and inspires me. How quickly he built Abu Dhabi is unbelievable. When I fly offshore on a helicopter and watch the size of Abu Dhabi, it's incredible."
When Singh met Sheikh Zayed
He recounts his meeting with the leader. "Sheikh Zayed wanted to see more wildlife in Sir Baniyas Island. For need of water, Wesco was tasked to build a desalination plant and I ran it. Then one day, a plane landed there. I was taking a meter reading when Sheikh Zayed came from behind and said 'Assalamu Alaikum'. I was surprised to find him in front of me. He shook hands with me and asked about my well-being."
Singh will be leaving the shores of the UAE soon, to his 15-acre land. "It is our backbone, feeding us for generations."
And his wife is in the Capital now for Singh's farewell.
"She is here to pull me out of Abu Dhabi," he said.
His first ballot
The Punjab legislative assembly election is due on February 4 and he will cast his first vote of his life. "I will study the candidates and make up my mind. This is the first one and I should vote responsibly."
- ashwani@khaleejtimes.com